DIY Guide to Get your Tap Leak Fixed



Posted: Friday, February 06, 2009

by Scott Rodgers
http://www.elocalplumbers.com

The sound of water dripping from a leaking tap is annoying at the least. And apart from wasting water, it can also disturb your sleep especially in winters. Still, people have become so lazy and such misers that they usually spend a good number of days before they think about fixing the tap. While it's understandable that hiring a professional plumber in these hard economic times may be a burden on your pockets, but it's pretty simple if you want to do it yourself.

First of all, shut off the water supply so that you won't get soaked when you open the joints. Try to get an illustrated diagram of the tap and look at it carefully to under the system. A good number of faucet manufacturers provide illustrative diagrams online or may send upon email contact with them. In case you don't have access to any such diagram, then disassemble the tap and keep all parts separate in their respective order of disassembly. This will help you install the tap quickly later. Else, you may later get confused about which part should come first.

The information presented here will focus on fixing compression faucets. There are typically two handles in these faucets. Let's first consider the case when the leak is actually in the handle. To start, it is important stop up the sink so that you won't lose any small pieces down the drain. Then, you will have to remove the cap of the handle. Afterward, open up the screw inside and take off the handle. You can insert a screwdriver beneath the handle and push it upwards a bit to make this removal easier. However, make sure that you wrap some tape around the screwdriver to avoid any scratches around the base of the handle. In most cases, a leak inside the handle is caused due to loosening of the packing nut inside. If that's the case, then tighten this nut using a wrench. Now turn on the water supply and see if the leakage has stopped or not. If you still find water leaking from the handle, the problem is probably with the O-ring. Take out the packing nut and install a new O-ring. This would ultimately stop the leakage if it's originating from the handle.

Now if the leakage is in the spout, you will need to disassemble that. Take off the screw from the stem. You will find a washer there. In all likelihood, the washer may have ripped this out slowly and installing a replacement may get rid of the problem. However, while you work at this, it'd also be great to use a scratchy surface into the valve to clean it from within. You can also insert your finger there to see if the surface is rough anywhere, which usually indicates some damage.

While it's not very hard to fix a leaky faucet, a beginner can still make mistakes. So prior to starting this task, keep some plumber's contact info with you, so you can call him in case of an emergency.

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Is your faucet still leaking? Get help from a plumbing expert at http://eLocalPlumbers.com
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